Caster.



'PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

W. A. TONINI.

(FASTER.

APPLIOATION FILED THE. 1, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

PI ELZ FIEQEI,

Inventor WzY/zla 71% 76272916 I Attorney I Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. TONINI, OF GRANDVIEVV, INDIANA.

CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,408, dated May 10, 1904. Application filed February 1, 1904. Serial No. 191,516. (No model.)

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. ToNINI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grandview, in the county of Spencer and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for fastening casters in the tubular posts on legs of iron beds or inthe sockets of the supports of other furniture.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive device of this character which may be quickly and easily applied to or removed from the socket of the post or support and which will hold the caster firmly and securely in place.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, aswill be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a tubular post or support and my improved caster-fastoner. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the same, taken on the line :20 w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved fastener removed from the post or support. Fig. I is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 6 is avertical sectional view through the fastener on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 denotes a tubular post or support of an iron bed or any other object, and 2 denotes a caster secured thereto by my improved fastening device 3, as shown. The said caster may be of any suitable form and preferably comprises in its construction a wheel or roller 4, journaled on a pin 5 between the arms 6 of a forked frame 7, to the top or central portion of which is riveted or otherwise secured a stem or spindle 8. The said spindle 8 is formed at its lower end adjacent to the frame 7 with e an enlarged cylindrical journal 9, which has a flaring portion 10, as shown, and at its upper end with a head or enlargement 12, by means of which it is retained in the fastener 3, as presently explained. I

My improved fastener 3 comprises two concentrically-disposed tubes 13 and 14, which are secured together at their lower ends by a head 15. The outer tube 13, which forms the body portion of the fastener, is made of spring metal and is split or cut longitudinally, so that its sides overlap each other, as at 16, to permit it to be sprung into the opening or socket in the tubular post or support of the bed or other object to which it is applied. The said longitudinal slot or opening in the tube 13 extends from its upper end to a point adjacent to its lower end, which is secured to the said head 15, so that owing to the resiliency of the metal of which the tube is made its upper end will spring open and be slightly larger in diameter than its lower end. This tendency of the tube to expand will hold the fastener in the post by the frictional contact of the outside of the tube with the interior.

of the post 1, and owing to the great amount of surface in frictional contact the tube will be held securely in place. The tube 13 may be readily inserted in the post 1 by simply compressing it to cause its sides to overlap to a greater extent, and thereby reduce the side of its upper end. After its upper end is once inserted the balance of the tube may be easily driven into said post, the central and lower portion of the tube acting as a wedge to hold the device securely in the post. To prevent the tube 13 from being forced too far into the post 1, the head 15 projects beyond the tube 13 and forms a right-angularlyprojecting annular flange 17, which engages the lower end of the post 1 and serves as a stop. The inner concentric tube 14, into which the caster-spindle 8 is adapted to project, has its lower end secured in' any suitable manner in the head 15, and its upper end, which terminates below the upper end of the outer tube, is provided with longitudinal slots or cuts 18, which form in wardly-projecting spring-fingers 19, adapted to engage the head 12 on the caster-stem and hold the latter in the tube. The internal diameter of the lower portion of the tube 1 L corresponds to the external diameter of the flaring portion 10 on the spindle 8, which fits said tube snugly to prevent anylooseness between the caster and its fastener. The extreme lower end of the tube 14 is slightly flared, as at 20, forming a bearing to receive the flaring portion 10 of the journal 9 of the spindle.

The use and advantages of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that the fastener may be quickly and easilyinserted in the opening or socket of the post or support and that it will be securely retained therein and also that the caster will be held firmly and securely in the fastener.

While I have shown and described my invention in the form best known to me at the present time, it Will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrifieing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my' invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fastening device of the character described, comprising inner and outer concentric tubes connected at one end by a head having a projecting edge adapted to serve as a stop, said outer tube being cut longitudinally and having its sides overlapping, and said inner tube having its upper end slotted to form spring-fingers, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a post or support having an opening socket, and a caster having a spindle, of a fastener comprising inner and outer concentric tubes secured at their lower ends by a head having a projecting stopflange adapted to engage the said post or support, said outer tube being cut longitudinally to permit it to be sprung into said opening or socket in the post or support, and said inner tube being adapted to receive the caster-spindle and having its upper end slotted to form spring-fingers to engage the upper end of said spindle and retain the latter in said tube, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM A. TONINI.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. VVILBERN, HERBERT O. STUTEVILLE. 

